Axiom 92: You Don't Have to Play by the Rules

Back in 2012 I was out of town for work for almost a month. It was the biggest job our company had ever done at the time. It was by far the hardest I've ever worked and the most physically and mentally exhausted I've ever been in my life.

Towards the end of my time away I drove a few hours off one weekend on an outing to Yellowstone National Park. I went into a little shop in West Yellowstone and saw the picture above for sale. There was just something about that picture that spoke to me at the time.

Now hanging in my office at home it says, "The Clearest Way into the Universe is Through a Forest Wilderness."

I bought it at the time because that quote taught me a valuable life lesson. I had been through the past few weeks of the hardest and most stressful work even, but there is no success without failure. There is no pleasure without pain. There is no learning and growing in life without first going through difficulties.

I learned from that day on I should look at problems as opportunities. No longer was I subject to the rules simply as a passive onlooker. Successful people don't play by other peoples' rules. They play by their own rules. Don't get stuck in the forest.     

Axiom 91: Learn to be Analog & Digital

I was born in 1980 into an interesting generation. I was born into an analog world and watched it change into a digital world during my prime mental development years as a youth.

I watched as the old ways died. Rotary phones, televisions with rabbit ears, cassette tapes, paying with cash, handwritten letters, getting the newspaper delivered, and other antiqued transmissions were replaced by cell phones, digital television, music streaming, debit cards, emails, and internet news among other things.

The speed of information and technology was completely transformed before my young eyes. Now I watch as the generation after me cannot grasp the concept of what an analog world looked like and the generation before me struggles to find comfort in having to do everything the "digital" way.

It is important to know that no matter what generation you belong to there is no right or wrong way in doing things the "old" way or the "new" way. Each way has its own advantages and disadvantages. Don't assume that just because it is the habit from a different generation that it is necessarily wrong or right. Speaking as someone from both the analog and digital world there is value in every way of doing something.

A record can sound as good as a lossless digital audio file. A handwritten letter can be as important and meaningful as any email. Don't forget the value in doing things the way another generation does them.    

America's Best Burger - Brindle Room NYC

I was in New York for a day last week and there was only one thing I wanted to eat for sure while I was there, a burger from Brindle Room in East Village (www.brindleroom.com). Sure I'd been to New York many times before and eaten at many great places, but this burger is the best sleeper of a meal in the entire city. It's not only the best burger I've ever had it's also one of the best meals I've ever had. It's that good.

This is what I had been dreaming about for the last seven months since my first visit there:

You'd think that a $16 burger couldn't compete with a meal from a five star restaurant but you'd be dead wrong. Compare this to a $50 burger from the ultra-swank 21 Club in Midtown and it wins by a mile every time.

Here's a picture of this beautiful beast:

So for such a simple looking burger what makes this burger so badass? I think it is a couple of things. First, the cut of meat is different. It's makes the burger more flavorful. It tastes richer and more filling than other burgers. Second, the bread taste like donut bread. It allows the bite of the burger to be softer. It's like eating a heavenly cloud.

And let's not leave the fries out either. Those might be the best damn fries I've ever had also. They're crispy, crunchy, and taste fresh. Overall, I can't wait to go back again next time I'm in NYC. You can't ask for a better meal.

Here's a video of how the magic happens: